Chaotic Week

This was definitely my most challenging week since I've started teaching at the high school. I definitely struggled with some of my lesson plans and getting through the week, but thanks to several conversations with other teachers in the week, they helped get me through it. I can't say thank you enough to staff members that had a conversation with me this week. We talked about a variety of things from math curriculum to iPads to driving a car. These staff members let me in on some things and let me know that the observations I had and am having are totally normal. I was able to see some students in a different way this week, which was very eye opening.

I'd also like to say that this was the first time I experienced a deadline day for re-taking assessments. Holy smokes is this a process! Trying to remember when each student wanted to come, where I put the the completed tests, and recording each test is insane. I'm glad to see that so many of the students came in and completed the skill. I have had multiple students already retake the next assessment and are completed and checked off on that skill is well. I love that students are coming in so early and completing these! Keep up the hard work

I've also had several people in the building help me organize and stay organized over the past couple of weeks. Having student helpers prep things for me, clean my room, give me feedback, etc. has been outstanding. I just wanted to say thank you to all of those who have helped me this much!

The Year So Far

It's hard to believe that there have already been three weeks of the school year and we are nearing the end of September already. I loved having the parents come in and get to know a little bit about our classroom and see what algebra, geometry, and college-prep math are all about. It was definitely a different experience for me and another first for me as well.

In prep-geometry this week, we took our first unit test. The students completed all of their work on area/perimeter, surface area, and volume. We will be done measuring all of these measurements for awhile and will be starting another unit tomorrow on probability and statistics. This unit will go a little bit quicker and there won't be as many formulas!

Algebra II is in the middle of the matrix unit right now. Many kids have started to master the concept of adding, subtracting, and multiplying matrices together. I know that this week has definitely been a struggle and it's not the easiest of topics to learn, but I'm so thrilled with the level of effort and patience the students have had over the past couple of days! Keep asking questions and never give up on a problem. I'd also like to say thank you to those students who have taken a proactive approach at finishing their incomplete tests and are ready to re-test. This is a huge help and really says something about the kind of person you are. Remember that the ROPES packets are due September 27 and the incomplete tests are due 2 weeks from tomorrow.

The college-prep students are still working through chapter one and are doing pretty well on the concept checks. Many of the students are showing effort on these tests of knowledge. I will be trying out some newer things in this class. I'd like to try out different teaching techniques and see if we can steer away from the book sometime throughout the semester. I tried using a "poll everywhere" today with the students to give me feedback on the class. I'd like to thank those who participated in the activity. It really gave me a better insight of where we are and where we need to be.

Outside of class, I'm figuring out the a good routine and still trying to get into my normal groove of things. After talking to a few teachers in the department, I've discovered that being able to try new things and teaching ways are okay to do! It's been a good start to the year and I'm looking forward to trying out new things with all of my classes.

My First Week

This last week was definitely a crazy week. Everyone was excited for the start of school and could tell that many of the students were ready to get back into the swing of things. I know that being "new" to the building was a change for me and I learned a lot from this past week.

I know that the first few days were a little bit boring for the students, but from what some told me, it sounded like teachers throughout the building tried out new opening activities for the the kids. Unfortunately, I was one of those teachers who fell into the "syllabus" day being the first day of class. Since I've never had the chance experience a first day as a teacher, I wasn't sure what to plan with the students the first day so instead of trying something new, I went with what I knew. I know that a few of my colleagues in the math department went about the first week in a completely different way. Starting kids out with introducing them to a math question, giving homework the first day, having them share a lot of information with the class, etc. The next first day I have, will be different!

After talking with a few colleagues, they made me realize things that I should have done this last week in my classes as well. I need to start being more detailed in the things that I'm doing. I need to be giving more clear and concise directions, make sure that I have enough copies for everyone, and giving clear expectations of all students in my classes. I need to start modeling what I expect, how I expect work to be shown, and expect to show all students to show their Falls Pride!

Luckily, this week I was able to reflect with some teachers in the building. They have all given me some very valuable tips and have been nothing but an outstanding support system. The staff at MFHS is definitely a special one and I'm so glad to be a part of it.

Retesting

As most of the students know, we will be retesting them next week on the nine standards that have been tested throughout the course of the year. Students must work with other students, do extra problems, go on Khan Academy, ask another teacher for help, etc. before they will have the chance to retest. The students will only be given ONE chance to test their skills for their chance to become proficient. I will be staying after school a few days next week to help students if they would like extra help on a specific topic. I would advise students to start studying old material (homework, tests, notes.etc.) to prepare for next week.

The Hunt

As my time at Maplewood Middle School starts to wind down, it's about that time when I start looking for a full-time teaching job. I have started my job hunt in surrounding middle and high schools. I have found that there are many openings throughout the state. I've began creating a resume, cover letters, getting letters of recommendation, as well as many other things needed to apply for a job. This has been an interesting process and I am learning a great deal about how applying for a job and how competitive the profession is as a whole.

Graduation

This upcoming weekend, I will officially be graduating college from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. I can't believe that it has been five year since I attended my first college class. It has been an absolutely crazy couple of years, especially this last year. I just want to thank those who have been there to support me and be there for the times when I needed friends the most. I have made some incredible friends over these past five years. I'm not sure where everyone will be going or even where I will be, but I wish all of those people the best of luck in the future. I also wanted to thank my family for always being there for me. My sisters have listened to so many of my teaching ideas that I'm sure they are sick of me asking if they think a lesson I have come up with would be a good idea or not. I would also like to thank my brother for always being there for me. We have had so many conversations about school and he has given me so much insight on certain events. I can't think him enough for always being there for me. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for everything that they have done. They have given me the opportunity to start off my future in the right direction and pushed me to be the person who I am today. If it weren't for them, I would be able to say that I have officially graduated and ready to move onto the next chapter in my life.

Math Conference

This past week, I was able to attend the Green Lake Mathematics Conference in Greenlake, Wisconsin. This is an annual conference that brings presenters from around the nation to Wisconsin to present and share their ideas on mathematics in the classroom. I attended several different sessions that varied in their content. The first one I attended was one that helped integrate the use of the iPad into the classroom. The presenter gave many ideas on how to connect the students with the iPad, as well as, many different apps that they use to present their material. The session that I attended, was put on by three presenters that opened a charter school in the Waukesha School District. They have a very different teaching style then what many schools are used to. Their school is very student based that uses the STEM program as it's main basis for learning. The last session that I attended was put on by a presenter from Atlanta, Georgia that works with school districts all over the nation. The presenter gave a very in-depth look at the RTI programs that are being inserted into schools all over the country. I really enjoyed this conference and learned some new skills and techniques. It gave me a chance see other techniques and build up my knowledge on what other mathematics teachers are doing around the state and country.